Learn more about exploration and science

Research vessel Atlantis and the submersible Alvin are working along the East Pacific Rise, about 200 miles south and west of Acapulco, Mexico. Alvin is diving to a mid-ocean ridge that is roughly 2500 meters (8100 feet) below the ocean's surface.

Shank and other ocean explorers diving in Alvin are looking for tubeworms and other exotic forms of life that can thrive in the intense pressure and extreme temperatures of the light-less deep sea floor.

Astronaut Suni Williams, Expedition 14 flight engineer, floats around while working the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station. Astronauts Robert Curbeam Jr. and Michael Lopez-Alegria are visible in the background. (Courtesy of NASA)

The East Pacific Rise has been a mecca for research by
oceanographers, geologists, marine chemists, and biologists. Follow the
links below to learn more about this important research site.

Scientists "See" New Ocean Floor Just Before and After It Is Created
A multidisciplinary research team from six institutions has for the
first time successfully anticipated and then chronicled a seafloor
eruption along the global mid-ocean ridge, the most active volcanic
system on Earth. The event along the East Pacific Rise has provided
researchers with a rare opportunity to observe what happens in the
immediate aftermath of an eruption.

Ridge 2000 researchers discover/document seafloor eruption
A new eruption on the East Pacific Rise (EPR) was first suspected
during a visit to the site by the R/V Knorr in April, 2006. Two
follow-up cruises to the EPR site on the R/V New Horizon in April/May,
2006 and the R/V Atlantis in June, 2006 confirmed that a new eruption
had, indeed, occurred on the seafloor.

Scientists Lose Instruments, Gain First Look at Seafloor Formation
Ordinarily, losing almost all of one's instruments would be considered
a severe setback to any scientist. But when Maya Tolstoy, a marine
geophysicist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the Earth
Institute at Columbia University, recently learned that two-thirds of
the seismometers she placed on the floor of the Pacific Ocean were
trapped more than 8,000 feet (2500 meters) underwater, it turned out to
be an extremely good sign.

RIDGE 2000 Program
RIDGE is a long-term program of scientific research on mid-ocean ridges
and other tectonic spreading centers, sponsored by the National Science
Foundation.

Want to learn more about hydrothermal vent systems and the life on them?

Hydrothermal Vent Systems
Since their discovery in 1977, hydrothermal vents have been found along
mid-ocean ridges on the seafloor of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian
Oceans. These natural, deep-sea plumbing systems ventilate heat and
minerals from the interior of the Earth, while supporting complex
ecosystems of exotic organisms. These peculiar environments may represent a model for the origin of life on
Earth and on other planets.

Biogeography of deep-sea hydrothermal vent faunas
Distributions of hydrothermal vent organisms on mid-ocean ridges appear
to be influenced by features such as deep-ocean circulation patterns,
by major topographic characteristics such as deep, cross-cutting
fracture zones or changes in depth of the ridge system, and by the
position and movement of Earth’s tectonic plates over time.

Do you enjoy online science expeditions? Here are a few of our favorites...

Dive and Discover
Recent expeditions have included the Galapagos Rift, the Juan de Fuca
Ridge, Guaymas Basin, the New England Seamounts, the East Pacific Rise,
the Indian Ocean, and Antarctica.

Venture Deep Ocean
This site highlights some of the latest discoveries about seafloor
volcanoes and vents, and how they create environments for extraordinary
lifeforms.

Polar Discovery
The polar regions are experiencing unprecedented environmental changes
that are having significant impacts on global climate, ecosystems, and
society. Using the latest engineering advancements, scientists are
studying the changing climate at heart of the icy Arctic Ocean, the
melting glaciers of Greenland, and the creatures of Antarctica’s
Southern Ocean. Through daily stories, photos, and videos, Polar
Discovery gives you an inside look at these expeditions to the frozen
ends of the earth. The adventure begins in April 2007.

Student Experiments at SeaEach
year, middle- and high-school students take part in scientific studies
conducted both in the classroom and at sea. Through the web, students
work alongside researchers to learn more about the deep sea.

VISIONS ’05: Expedition to the Underwater Volcanoes of the Northeast Pacific
The Research Vessel Thomas G. Thompson
sailed from Seattle Sept. 1 for a five-week research expedition on the
Juan de Fuca Ridge, which lies 200 miles off the Washington coast. The
VISIONS ’05 programs allowed viewers to participate virtually in the
voyage, seeing life-forms and geologic activity at the same time as the
scientists participating in the expedition.